Get jab to protect your baby

Pregnant women in Cambridgeshire are being immunised against whooping cough following a sharp rise in the disease in babies.

Primary care trust NHS Cambridgeshire said the number of cases at the end of August was treble the level recorded the previous year.

Expectant mums are being urged to visit their GP to get themselves vaccinated from week 28 of their pregnancy.

Whooping cough can lead to pneumonia and permanent brain damage. It can also be fatal.

Dr Liz Robin, director of public health for NHS Cambridgeshire, said: “The only way you can help protect your baby from getting whooping cough in its first weeks after birth is by having the vaccination yourself while pregnant.

“You will then pass some immunity to your baby before he or she is born, until they have their own vaccination at two months.”